Winter tourism, a major economic driver in Vermont — and much of the northern U.S. — faces increasingly more costly challenges in the face of global warming trends, according to a study released Thursday.

The study, produced by the Natural Resources Defense Council and ProtectOurWinters.org, concludes that current rates of carbon emission will wildly disrupt skiing and snowboarding, snowmobiling, ice fishing and snowshoeing.

“The ramifications of changing snow fall patterns are already altering people’s outdoor habits — taking an economic toll on the ski resort industry of over $1 billion in the last decade,” it states.

The 32-page report comes one day after the Vermont Ski Areas Association announced robust, earlier-than-normal snow on resort slopes.

Improved, energy-efficient snowmaking, the industry group reports, has “launched the resorts into December with nearly 20 percent open terrain for skiers and riders, the strongest opening since the epic 2008-2009 season.”

Burke Mountain had its “earliest and most successful opening ever” on Dec. 1, according to the resort’s marketing manager, Hannah Collins.

There is agreement among the two perspectives: Winter-mavens delight in high drifts, and they want the conditions Vermont is known for to persist.

Winter tourism in the Green Mountain State employed 13,417 people during the 2009-10 season, according to the NRDC study; it contributed about $770 million to the economy.

But the climate study’s authors, University of New Hampshire scientists Elizabeth Burakowski and Matthew Magnusson, offer a grim long-term forecast if pollution continues unabated.

The Northeast’s snow season will likely be cut in half, the say; winter-tourist industries would face “economic devastation.”

It continues: As with other climate-related industries (think: farming), the lack of predictability to weather patterns could radically change how — or if — current models survive.

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Consider the impact on taxes, the study suggests: Winter tourism annually contributes millions to state and national economies, directly — and as catalysts to other businesses, such as restaurants, lodging, gas stations, gear vendors, grocery stores and entertainment.

The study’s authors urge its readers to wield its economic data in lobbying for more aggressive regulation of fossil fuel emissions.

Vermont Ski Areas Association spokeswoman Sarah Neith, who is familiar with the climate report, said the Green Mountain State is already on board with both feet.

The ski association, through its U.S. affiliate, the National Ski Areas Association, has for the past decade lobbied for tighter carbon controls, Neith said.

An aptly named National Ski Areas Association “Keep Winter Cool” campaign to advance climate awareness is a collaboration with the Natural Resources Defense Council — the same group that released Thursday’s study.

“Most of the people in this industry have a first-hand experience in what’s going on outside,” Neith said.

“It’s been a balancing act between working for long-term solutions and adapting to the next several decades,” she added.

Among the latter strategies: reducing the cost of snowmaking, and broadening the appeal of resorts to year-round visitors.